DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Description): This Surgical Oncology Training program is designed to attract and train physicians with a clinical background in surgery in a two- year fellowship of basic oncological research. The major emphasis of this program will be on the development of research skills which have a translational applicability to clinical surgical oncology. This will be accomplished through an intense, personal involvement of the trainee with an established cancer research investigator at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center who has experience in the training of physician scientists. Each trainee has a clinical mentor in surgical oncology to help to coordinate the trainee's translational research focus. The first year of the program emphasizes research methodology, coursework, and basic science techniques to ensure that the fellows receive the knowledge and methodology in various fields of cancer research. Formal coursework will be completed by the trainee in individualized programs in areas such as biostatistics, immunology, molecular biology, signal transduction, or epidemiology. As the individual's own research project matures, they will present their work to a basic science review committee to ensure they are able to defend their interpretation of their experiments. Selection of the trainees will be competitive and preference will be for fellows who have completed their clinical training and whose identification of problem areas in oncology has been enhanced by the clinical experience. Candidates will be considered who have completed two to three years of residency if they demonstrate exceptional promise as academic surgeons. A total of two trainees will participate in the program, one fellow being selected annually for a two year period.